According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT)’s export portal KATI, demand for Hanwoo is coming from local Korean residents and buyers. With a recent surge in upscale Korean BBQ spots and the UAE securing halal-certified slaughterhouses, exporters are actively pursuing new shipments.
In 2024, the UAE’s beef import market reached about 1.1 billion USD (approximately 1.467 trillion KRW). By product type, frozen beef made up 65% of imports, while chilled beef accounted for 35%.
Hanwoo is mainly distributed through premium restaurants and Korean food stores. It carries a premium image, but it hasn’t yet gained the widespread recognition that Wagyu has.
In high-end restaurants, Hanwoo is priced between Australian Wagyu and Japanese Wagyu—around $75 per 100 g (about 100,000 KRW; about 3.5 oz). Demand for premium meats is rising across the UAE, especially in fine-dining restaurants and luxury hotels.
Premium meat consumption has been dominated by Japanese Wagyu, Australian Wagyu, and U.S. Black Angus, but interest in Hanwoo has grown alongside the global spread of Korean culture.
An aT official said, “Unlike melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu, many diners find Hanwoo’s fat rich but not greasy, with a clean finish.” The official added, “We expect Hanwoo to form a distinct consumer base separate from Wagyu going forward.”
